Exploring the Future Needs of the Profession: Perspectives of Practicing Social Workers

Background

This exploratory study sought to understand practicing social workers’ perceptions of existing practice issues; expected changes within the field during the next ten years; and changes needed in social work education. A dearth of research exists on how the profession of social work is progressing and the ways in which education can help prepare students to enter the field.

Method

Data were collected anonymously from practicing social workers (N = 152) through distribution of an electronic survey to social workers within the researchers’ networks and via social media (e.g., Twitter) and social work listservs (e.g., BPD); participants were encouraged to share the link with other practitioners.

Participants were asked three open-ended questions: (1) “What do you see as the most important practice issues facing social workers today?”; (2) “What changes do you see occurring over the next 10 years in the field of social work?”; and (3) “What is needed in social work education to meet the changing social landscape?”

The data were analyzed using content analysis (Lune & Berg, 2017) where the manifest content was reviewed and independently categorized for each of the three questions. An iterative process was performed where the data were reviewed after categorization in light of the theme, and small changes were made to reflect greater understanding of the content.

Findings

The sample was predominately female (85.6%) and White (86.1%) with an average age of nearly 42 years. Most respondents held an MSW degree (78.7%) and some type of social work licensure (80.2%). The average number of years in practice was approximately 13 (SD = 11.16), and most worked in direct practice (59.7%) in a nonprofit setting (30.1%).

Evidence-based practice, management of large caseloads, having access to resources, social justice issues, and working conditions were among the ideas that practitioners identified as important practice issues facing social workers today. Themes regarding changes social workers see as occurring over the next ten years included funding, professionalization of the field, telehealth, and integration of new techniques into clinical work. Themes on how social work education will need to evolve to meet shifts in the social landscape contained changes to: what students should know about clinical and macro practice, including greater skill development; to the way faculty teach, including greater mentoring and community engagement; and to social work education itself, such as a greater global perspective and more faculty who practice and do research.

Conclusion

Practicing social workers’ perceptions of the field are integral to the evolvement of the profession. The findings from this study suggest that greater emphasis on direct practice issues and skills are needed in the field and thus are an important area to address in education, including additional training on evidence-based practice. Professionalization of social work and the need for better pay, improved working conditions, and greater respect were also noted throughout these findings. These are ongoing issues in social work that will require continued efforts to create significant change in the profession.